Sintering system



Nov. 30, 1 37. E. w. SHALL'OCK 2,1 0,878

SINTERING SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May s, 1955 Nov. 30, 1937. E, wSHA L CK 2,100,878

SINTERING SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 8 1935 Nov; 30, 1931.EWHSHALLOCK 2,100,87

S INTERING SYSTEM Filed May 8, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 nvcnar: ff'dumrciShallow:

1937. E. w. SHALLOC ZK SINTERING SYSTEM Filed May 8,- 1935 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 30, 1937. E. w. SHALLOCK 2,100,878

SINTERINGSYSTEM Filed May 8, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 GENERATOREELDF/{EOJTAT MMETER moron FUEJ wamrmrmomw 35 W W 1M.

Patented Nov. 30, 1931.

UNITED STATES PAT'E'NT- OFFICE 2,100,878 snv'rnnmo' sYs'mM Edward WShallock, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American Ore Reclamation Company,Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Application May 8, 1935, SerialNo..20,319

7Claims. (Cl. 221122) constituting the mix to be sintered can be variedto suit requirements.

In sintering ores and other materials of like character, it isdesirable, in order to obtain the best results, that the material to besintered possess certain characteristics. It is known that .ores fromdifferent localities have different characteristics, the ore from onelocality containing more of certain metals and other elements than theore from another locality; in example, copper ore taken from a mine inone locality may contain diflerent amounts of copper, iro'n, lead, andsilica, than copper ore taken from another 10- cality. In fact, oretaken from difierentportions of the same mine may vary appreciably as tothe amounts of foreign materials which it contains,

and ore taken from one mine-may vary considerably in this respect fromore taken from another mine in the same locality. It is also known, insintering ores, to mix therewith other'materials, such as coke and fluedust. The various materials used in the mix to be sintered should bepresent in certain prbportions which can be determined readily byexperiment, the operatorof the sintering machine being able to determinethe proper proportions of the various materials,

which proportions have first been determined approximately by previousexperience, by watching the progress of. the sintering operation. By

varying the proportions of'the materials, as required, it is possible toobtaina mix which will 33 assure thorough and complete sintering atmaximum speed for the material being treated. -In order that this resultmay be accomplished, however, it is necessary that the operator of thesinteringmachine be able to vary at will and 40 with accuracy theproportions of the materials constituting the mix.

In practice, the various materials which are to form the ingredients ofthe mix to be sintered are stored in large bins, which, of necessity,are re- 5 mote from the sintering machine. It has been proposed toprovide the storage bins with means for delivering the materialstherefrom to a main conveyor belt which delivers the materials to thesintering machine, and to control the rate of 59 discharge of thematerials from the respective bins by means of adjustable gates. Asystem of this character is disclosed in Patent No. 1,215,739, issuedFebruary 13, 1917, to Henry J. Stehli.

While this system has proved to be' of considerable merit, it requiresthe presence of an atattendant at the bins.

tendant at the bin for operatingthe gates thereof, and is open to theobjection that it is diflicult to control, by means of slidable gates,the rate of feed of'the materials from the bins with the necessarydegree of accuracy. A further objcc- 5 tion to a system in which therate of feed of materials from the bins is regulated by an attendantremote from the sintering machine, is that this attendant is not in aposition to observe the sintering operation and to regulate theproportions of the different materials in accordance therewith, and asrequired, in order to obtain the most rapid and thorough sintering ofthe mix.

One of the main objects of my invention is to provide a sintering systemof simple construc- 15 tion and operation, in which the proportions ofthe materials delivered from the storage bins can be accuratelycontrolled as required. A further important object of my invention is toprovide means under the control of the operator of 20 the sinteringmachine and by which the propor- Lions of the different materials can bequickly varied as required to assure best results in the sinteringoperation. An additional object is to provide means for controlling therate of feed 5 of the materials from the respective bins, such meansbeing adjacent the sintering machine and under control of the operatorof the machine', thus eliminating the necessity of an additional objectof my invention to provide means, under control of the sintering machineoperator, for varying simultaneously the rate of delivery of the variousmaterials of the mix, thereby varying the total amount of the mix.delivered within 35v modified form 0! sintering system embodying myinvention;

Figure 4 is a side view of one or the storage bins, partly broken away,and the associated o feed control means and conveyor belt, parts beingshown in section;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing the discharge chuteassociated with the binin a ,diflerent position than in Figure 4; 55

It is also an important Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4, butshowing a third position of the discharge chute;

Figure 7 is a side view of the lower portion of a Figure 10 is a diagramof the circuits and associated mechanisms for controlling the vibrators.

The sintering system of my invention is housed within a suitablebuilding B4 A sintering machine M of (suitable type is disposed within aroom or compartment C of the building, this machine being showndiagrammatically. The sintering machine may be of any-suitable type, butI preferably employ a machine of what is known as the Dwight 8: Lloydtype. This machine comprises an endless track having an upper run and alower run connected by suitable arcuate end portions or bends. A trainof pallets travel along the track, each pallet passing beneath a chute Iadjacent one end of the machine, this chute receiving the mix to besintered from a hopper 2. The pallet is thus charged with the mix, andthen passes beneath an ignition device 3 for igniting the charge ofthe'm'ix at the upper face thereof. "This initiates combustion of' themix, and during continued travel of the pallet the mix is subjeced todown draft combustion so as to be thoroughly sintered by the time thepallet reaches the other or discharge end of the machine. The palletsare separate from each other, but are maintained in 'endwise contact onthe upper run of the machine so as to form a continuous grate surface onwhich the sintering operation takes place. When a pallet reaches theother or discharge end of the machine, it passes about the return bendat that end of the machine so as to be inverted and then travels alongthe lower run of the track to the first or feed end of the machine, fromwhere it is elevated and delivered to the upper run of the track in aknown manner. When the pallet travels around the return bend at thedischarge end of the machine, it separates from the next followingpallet on the upper run and, due to its change in direction of travel,breaks off a corresponding piece or block of sinter. sinter results inthe production of fine particles of sinter, at the break, known assinter fines. block of sinter thus broken off passesover a suitfablegrating 4 disposed within a. housing 5 at the discharge end of themachine, from which grating the block of sinter is delivered to asuitable conveyor or chute which conducts it to a point of discharge. Astack 6 extends from the housing 5 through the roof of compartment C fortaking off fumes, fine dust particles and the like, and a suitthat asintering machine of suitable type is provided. A sintering machinesuitable for use in the system of my invention is shown in my Pat-'proximity thereto.

This breaking of the The ent No. 1,800,571, issued April 14, 1931,though any other suitable sintering machine may be used, as

noted.

I have shown, in Figure 1, four storage bins 8, 9, ill, and l I, forcontaining the materials to be used in preparing the sinter mix, thesebins being disposed exterior of compartment C and remote from thesintering machine M in accordance with the usual practice. The storagebins may contain different kinds of materials, such as coke, flue dust,ore, etc., or these bins may contain the same kind of material, such asthe same kind of ore, obtained from different localities or havingdifferent characteristics.

. Each of the bins is provided, at its bottom, with Y a reduced neck l2,the lower end of which is open- A discharge hopper i3, conveniently ofU-shape in cross-section and approximately L-shape in lengthwisesection, is disposed beneath neck i2 in The chute provides a closuremember for the lower end of the neck I! effective to prevent, when thechute is stationary, escape of material from the bin 8 except for thesmall amount of material which collects in the chute.

Chute i3 is suitably supported for lengthwise reciprocation, by means ofresilient members it in the form of leaf springs, the upper ends ofthese members being suitably secured to the chute and the lower ends ofmembers 14 being secured to a platform l5. This platform is secured on ashaft I6 mounted for turning movement in a standard H or other suitablesupport. A segmental gear l8, rigid with platform i5 and concentric withshaft l6, meshes with a worm l9 rotatably mounted in spaced lugs 20projecting fromfstandard II, this worm being provided at one end with acrank shaft 2| for rotating the worm and thus' adjusting platform 15 onthe axis of shaft 16. In this manner, the chute l3 can be adjusted on ahorizontal transverse axis to suit the material being handled, and theworm rials discharged therefrom, this conveyor deb livering thematerials to a mixer 26 of known type, from which the materials aredelivered; by a supplemental conveyor 21, to hopper 2 of the sinteringmachine.

In Figure 2 the main conveyor 25 delivers the materials from the mainstorage bins to a storage bin 28 constructed similarly to the mainstorage bins and having a vibrating chute or pan I3 disposed beneath itsdischarge opening. The bin 28 delivers to a mixer 29 of known type, fromwhich mixer the mixed materials are delivered to the sintering machineM. In this form the sinter fines are not delivered onto the mainconveyor 25, but may be mixed with the materials-to be sintered, in anysuitable or preferred manner.

In Figure 3, the main conveyor 25 delivers to a mixer 29 which deliversthe mixed materials to bin 28 from which the materials are discharged,by the reciprocating pan or chute l3, into a chute 30 which delivers thematerials to the sin-' tering machine.

Each of the chutes i3 is reciprocated or vibrated lengthwise by avibrator 3 i. This vibrator comprises a movable armature member suitablysecured to the chute, and means for reciprocat- In Figing the armaturemember. This. latter means may comprise a suitable frame supported orsuspended in such manner as to be substantially fixed relative to thechute and to the armature, electro-magnets supported by the framestructure, and resilient connections between the latter and thearmature. The electro-magnets are energized by an alternating orpulsating current, which results in imparting vibratory or reciprocatorymotion to the armature and thus reciprocating the chute l3 lengthwise soas to cause the material to be discharged from the chute onto the upperrun of the conveyor 25. The rate of discharge of the material from thechute may be controlled accurately by controlling the vibration of thechute; which may be accomplished with expedition and facility bycontrolling the energization of the electro-magnet. .Vibrators of thistype are well known under the name of Trayco vibrators and are capableof causing controlled fiow or discharge of 'materi'alsupward at aninclination of at least fifteen degrees,

as well as controlled flow of materials downward. Vibrators of the typereferred to are dis closed in Patents Nos. 1,772,596and 1,779,454. to

John A. Traylor, and Patent No. 1,846,326 to James A. Flint. Theparticular construction of the vibrator itself is not part of myinvention, except in so far as thisvibrator cooperates with other partsassociated therewith to accomplish the desired result. Accordingly, itis not necestor may be supported in any su table manner. Conveniently,suspension rods 35, each provided with a turn buckle 36, are suitablyattached at their upper ends to the storage bin, the lower ends of theserods being attached to the frame structure or field piece ofthevibrator. Each of the rods 35 also includes a cushioning device 31 ofsuitable type, which may be similar to the cushion ng device disclosedin the Flint Patent No. 1,846,326, this cushioning device serving toprevent transmission, to an objectionable extent, of vibration to thebin. The weightof the field piece and the parts carried thereby is such,relative to the weight of the armature and the chute and associatedparts, that the field piece does not vibrate and is. in eilect,stationary. Accordingly, when the fieldcoils of the vibrator areenergized, the chute is reciprocated. and by regulating thereciprocation thereof, in the manner above stated, the rate of dischargeof material from the chute may be accurately regulated as conditionsrequire.

The adjustment of the chute depends largely on the characteristics ofthe material being handled. Certain materials will flow much morereadily than others. shown as inclined downward toward its discharge endfor handling a material which does not fiow as readily as certainothenmaterials used in the e sintering process, the discharge of thematerial '.from the chute being effected by reciprocation thereof andthe adjustment of the chute correspording to the angle of repose of thematerial when the chute is stationary. In Figure 5 the In Figure 4 thechute is adjustment of the chute, in substantially horizontal position,is suitable for handling a material which flows more readily than'thematerial handled by the chute in Figure 4. In Figure 6, on the otherhand, it is assumed that the material being handled flows much morereadily than the material being handled in either Figure 4 or Figure 5.For example, hot flue dust and similar materials flow quite readily,and, in order to obtain the desired rate of discharge of thesematerials, by the reciprocation of the chute, the latter is disposed atan inclination upward toward its discharge end, as shown. In each ex-.-ample illustrated, discharge of the material from the chute onto theconveyor 25 is accomplished by vibration or reciprocation of the chute,and by controlling this vibration of the chute the rate at which theparticular material is discharged therefrom can be controlled accuratelyand within wide limits. The provision of .turn buckles in thesupporting'rods accommodates adjustment of the chutes in the mannerdescribed.

In Figures 7 and 8, I have shown a storage bin closed at its lower endand provided with a discharge opening '46 controlled by a slidable gate4| operated by a lever 42 connected to the gate by a link 43. Suitablemeans may be provided for holding the lever 42 in adjustment, or thepressure of the material within the bin 8a against the gate, withcorresponding frictional contact of the gate with the guide meanstherefor, may be relied upon for holding the gate in adjustment Thechute I 3 is suspended from bin 8a. by links 44 and adjustment of thechute is effected by the turn buckles 36 in the suspending rods 35.

- In Figure 9 bin 8 is open at its lower end, as in Figures 4 to 6,inclusive, and the chute l3a is supported from the bin by suspensionrods 35a, each provided with a turn buckle 36a and a cushion device3.1a. Adjustment of the chute is effected by the turn buckles 36 and 36ain the suitable electrical connections for operating and controlling thevibrators. In this figure, 41 is a motor-generator unit comprising analternating current motor and a direct current generator driven thereby.

A rheostat 48, 01' known type, is connected by r wire 49 to one brush ofthe generator and, by wire 56 to one end of the fieldwinding of thegenerator, the other end of which winding is connected to the other.brush of the generator and, by a wire 5|, to a connection block 52. Wire.5l is connected, through block 52, to a wire 53 connected byleads 54 toone of two'upper contacts of switches 55, of known type, which controlthe circuits of the respective vibrators. The other upper contact ofeach switch is connected,

by a lead 56, to a wire 51 connected through block 52 and wire 56 to oneside of an ammeter 59 of known type. The other side of ammeter 59 isconnected by wire 66 to one'outer main.

6| of the line whichsupplies alternating current to the motor of themotor-generator unit. Wire interposed a three pole single throw mainswitch 65 of known type, and associated fuses. A suitable transformer ofknowntype (not shown) is connected to, the alternating current mains ina,

known manner, and mains Gland 63 are corinected to this transformer inan appropriate manner to complete the direct current circuittherethrough. The path of flow of the direct current, in this portion ofthe circuit, is from the generator brush to which wire is connected,

through wire 5| to connection block 52, through wire 58, ammeter 59 andwire 60, to main 6|,

' to the transformer, through the latter andmain 53 to lead 62, andthence through-a portion of wire 49 tothe generator brush to which thelatter wire is connected.

The switch blades of each of the vibrator switches are connected,through suitable fuses,

to two lower bindingposts, one of which is connected by lead 86 to aconnection block 61 andthrough the latter and wire 13 to one end of theenergizing coils ,ll of the vibrator 3|. The other end of coils i4 isconnected by wire I5 to block 61, and through the latter and a lead 68to one pole of a rheostat 69 of known type. The other pole of rheostat69 is connected by lead I0 to one pole of an ammeter II, the other poleof which is connectedby lead 12 to block 61 and through the latter andlead 16 to the other lower binding post 'of switch 55. The wires 13 and15 are included in the respective cables 45.

When switches 55 are closed direct current flows from the generatorthrough the energizing coils 14 of the respective vibrators, andalternating current, taken from the source which supplies the motor, isimpressed upon this direct current. The alternating current flowing tothe coils I4 is supplemented or strengthened by the direct currentduring one-half of each cycle, and

--therof to'suit requirements, as previously mentioned. Rheostat. 48,which may be termed the master control rheostat, provides means forvarying equally and simultaneously the current supplied to theenergizing coils of all of the vibrators. In this manner the respectivevibrators may be adjusted to deliver the different materials in properproportions, and thereafter the intensity of vibration of the vibratorsmay be varied equally and'simultaneously, by means, of rheostatflB, tovary the total amount of the materials delivered to the main conveyor 25within any given period of time. This renders it possible for theoperatorlto regulate the rate of delivery of the mix to the sinteringmachine in accordance I with the speed of the sintering operation, whichis advantageous as permitting the sintering to be' performed at themaximum speed of which the machine is capable, savingvaluable time inthe sintering operation. A further advantage is that the operator isenabled to regulate the depth of the' bed of mix deposited upon thepallets of the machine, to suit the requirement of the par:

' ti cular material ormix being sintered. The sys- -tem as a wholeisthus highly flexible and may be readily controlled by the operator asconditions may require.

In practice the motor generator 41 may be disposed in a suitable housingor casing above which is disposed panel 46, conveniently in the form of.a casing containing the switches, ammeters, rheostats 89 and associatedelements. The rheostat 48 may be suitably mounted in the upper portionof panel 46 so as to be readily accessible. It will be understood,however, that the various rheostats and associated apparatuses, and themotor generator set, may be disposed in any suitable or convenientmanner, the rheostats being conveniently accessible for. regulating therate of delivery of the various materials in properproportions, and therate of deliveryv of the mix, as above described. y

when the intensity of vibration of the vibrators is varied by means ofthe rheostat 48, this may have a tendency to disturb the proportions ofthe materials. However, the vibrators are first adjustedindividu'ally tosuit the particular material being delivered by the respective chutes,

so that thereafter slight variation of the vibrators simultaneously andequally has little effect on the relative rates of delivery of thevarious materials, and, ordinarily, does not objectionably alter theproportions of the materials. However, there may be exceptional caseswhere considerable variation of the vibrators by means of rheostat 48would result in-noticeably altering the proportions of certain of thematerials. In such cases the difliculty can readily be rectifled byindividually readjusting the vibrators of the chutes handling suchmaterials, by means of the rheostats 69.

What I claim is:-

I. In a system for supplying granular-like materials having differentrates of flow, for producing a mixture thereof in desired proportions, aplurality of bins containing the materials, feed chutes mounted beneaththe respective bins and spacedtherebelow, each of the bins openingdirectly into the chute associated therewith and the chute containing apile of material from the associated bin, a conveyor beneath one end ofsaid chutes, the latter being openat said end for delivery of materialsto said conveyor, means for individually adjusting said chutes forvarying the angle thereof with reference to the horizontal, therespective chutes in the normal operative.

charge therefrom of material therein whir'r the chute is stationary,individual electrically actu-' ated means for vibrating said chutes,means comprising a rheostat for simultaneously controlling and varyingthe vibration of said chutes to the same extent for delivering therefromto said conveyorsaid materials in predetermined proportionate amounts,and means comprising indi-- vidual rheostats eifective for selectivelyvarying the extent of vibration of the individual chutes for varying theproportionate amount of material delivered therefrom to said conveyor.

2. In a system for supplying granular-like materials having differentrates of flow, for producing a mixture thereof in desired proportions, aplurality of bins containing the materials, feed chutes mounted beneaththe respective bins and spaced therebelow, each of. the bins openingdirectly into the chute-associated therewith and the chutecontainingapile of material from the terials having difierent rates of flow, forprosaid chutes, the latter being open at said end for delivery ofmaterials to said conveyor, means for individually adjusting said chutesfor varying the angle thereof with reference to the horizontal,

the respective chutes in the normal operative.

position thereof being so disposed with reference to the angle of reposeof the particular material to be delivered therefrom as to preventdischarge therefrom of material therein when the chute is stationary,individual electrically actuated means for vibrating said chutes, meanscomprising a rheostat for simultaneously controlling and varying thevibration of said chutes to the same extent, and means comprisingindividual rheostats effective for selectively varying the extent ofvibration-of the individual chutes without altering'the extent ofvibration of the remainder of the chutes and during continued vibrationof the latter.

3. In a system for supplying granular-like materials having differentrates of flow, for producing a -mixture thereof "in desired proportions,a plurality of bins containing the materials, a conveyor, electricallyactuated feed means for delivering material from the respective bins tosaid conveyor, and remotely controlled resistance means forsimultaneously introducing variable resistance into the circuits of allof saidfeed means effective for operating all of said feed means to thesame extent, and resistance means for introducing variable resistanceinto .the respective circuits of the individual feed means effective forselectively operating the individual feed means to a diiferent extentthan the remainder of said feed means in the continued operation of thelatter.

4. In a system for supplying granular-like maducing a mixture thereof indesired proportions, a plurality of bins containing the materials, aconveyor, feed means for delivering material from the respective bins tosaid conveyor, and remotely controlled electrically actuated meanscomprising control rheostats and effective for simultaneously operatingall of said feed means to the same extent and selectively increasing anddecreasing the rate of delivery of the individual feed meansindependently of the remainder of said feed means in the continuedoperation of the latter.

5. In a system iorsupplying granular-like materials having differentrates of flow, for producing a mixture thereof in desired proportions, a

plurality of bins containing the materials, a conveyor, and remotelycontrolled'electrically actuated means comprising control rheostats andefi. fective for delivering materials from said bins to said conveyor inpredetermined proportionate amounts and selectively varying at will therate of delivery of material from the individual bins during andindependently of the rate of continued delivery of materials fromthe-remainder of said bins. a

6. In a system for supplying granular-like materials having differentrates of flow, for producing a mixture thereof in desired proportions,aplurality of bins containing the materials, a conveyor, and remotelycontrolled electrically actuated means comprising control rheostats and.effective for delivering mate'rialsfrom said bins to said conveyor inpredetermined proportionate amounts and simultaneously varying to equalex-- tent the rate of delivery from all of said bins andselectivelyvarying the rate of delivery from the individual bins duringand independently of continued delivery from the remainder of said bins.

7. In a system for supplying granular-like materials having differentrates of flow, for producing a mixture thereof in desired proportions,

a plurality of bins for containing the materials,

vibratable feed chutes beneath the respective bins receiving thematerials therefrom and open at one end for delivery of such materials,s'aid chutes being respectively so disposed with reference to the angleof repose of the material to be delivered therefrom as to preventdischarge of such material from the chute when the latter is stationary,

said chutes then being effective as closure means for the lower endsofsaid bins, a conveyor disposed to receive materials delivered from theopen ends of said chutes, electrically actuated means associated withthe respective chutes effective for vibrating the latter tovariablee-xtent thereby varying the rateof delivery of materials fromsaid chutes while the disposition thereof relative to the angle ofrepose of the respective materials remains unaltered, variableresistance means effective for simultaneously varying the energizationof said electrically actuated means thereby simultaneously varying thevibration of said chutes, and variable resistance means individual tothe respective electrically actuated means effective for individuallyvarying the vibra-' tion of the respective chutes.

EDWARD w. SHALIQO'CK.

